Singapore — TANZANIA is leveraging its strategic location as a trade gateway to East Africa to attract foreign direct investment by showcasing a wide range of economic opportunities at the 8th Africa Singapore Business Forum (ASBF), currently underway in Singapore.
Leading the delegation is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahamoud Thabit Kombo, who arrived in Singapore on a working visit from Monday through Friday.
Upon arrival, Amb Kombo was welcomed by Tanzania’s Ambassador to Singapore, Ambassador Macocha Tembele, where he was accompanied by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Said Mussa, along with business leaders and senior government officials.
During the visit, Amb Kombo will participate in a series of strategic engagements, including the 5th Singapore-Africa Ministerial Exchange Visit (SAMEV), the 8th Africa Singapore Business Forum and the TanzaniaSingapore Business Forum.
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He will also hold bilateral talks with high-level government and private sector representatives from Singapore. The visit underlines economic diplomacy, with a strong focus on attracting investments in trade, the blue economy, renewable energy, tourism, technology and strengthening bilateral relations.
Ministers from 16 African countries are attending the forum, underscoring its significance in deepening Africa-Asia economic cooperation.
According to the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA), Singapore has registered 36 investment projects in Tanzania between 1997 and July 2025, valued at 535.13 million US dollars (about 1.35bn/-) and creating an estimated 3,228 jobs. Notably, 21 of the 36 projects have been in the industrial sector, highlighting its central role in bilateral investment ties.
Trade data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity shows that by June 2025, the trade volume between Tanzania and Singapore reached 26 million US dollars (about 65.6bn/-), with Tanzania exporting 10 million US dollars (about 25.2bn/-) and importing 16 million US dollars (about 40.4bn/-).
Singapore’s total merchandise trade in 2023 stood at approximately 1.2 trillion US dollars, while Tanzania’s exports and imports in the same year amounted to 11.1 billion US dollars and 15.7 billion US dollars, respectively. Tanzania’s major exports include gold, cashew nuts, coffee and cotton.
The ASBF presents a timely opportunity for Tanzania to position itself as a dynamic and investment-ready economy within the region.
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